Lauren Williams had 12 kills and a season-high eight blocks for USC (11-7, 4-5), which outblocked Cal (18-2, 8-1) by an 18-5 margin. Williams hit .346 in the match (12-3-26) while Zoe Garrett had nine kills, seven blocks and hit .438 for the match (9-2-16). Freshman outside Alex Jupiter added eight kills and six blocks, including three solo, while junior All-America setter Taylor Carico had five kills, 48 assists, six digs and two blocks.

Hana Cutura led the Golden Bears with 20 kills and 17 digs. Sophomore setter Carli Lloyd posted 59 assists with 14 digs, six kills and two blocks. Am'ra Solomon added 16 kills in a .438 night (16-2-32) for Cal while Shannon Hawari recorded 15 kills for a .545 clip (15-3-22).

Gysin's kill gave USC the 12-9 lead in the first set. Cal closed it to one at 14-13, but a 7-1 run by the Trojans put them in command at 21-14. Solomon's kill ignited a Golden Bear rally with five straight points as Lloyd and Wiley completed the stretch with a block. Garrett stopped the bleeding with a slide kill and Gysin followed to keep USC ahead at 23-19. Cutura put down two more for Cal, but USC held on to take the first set.

Cal went full throttle in the second set, utilizing a 9-1 run midway through the set to take the 14-7 lead. USC cut the deficit to four at 16-12, but Tarah Murrey sparked a run of five points for the Golden Bears to help tie the match.

Down 10-9 in the third set, Wiley aided Cal with a kill to start five straight points. Still leading 16-13, a Trojan service error started a 5-1 run for the Golden Bears. Cutura hammered two more kills later in the set as Cal took the 2-1 lead in the match.

With the Golden Bears leading 13-11 in the fourth set and poised to go for the victory, Jupiter's kill started a run of five for USC as three straight Golden Bear errors set the tempo for the rest of the set. Jupiter would cap the run with a solo block and Gysin later put down three kills as the Women of Troy forced the deciding set.

Jupiter recorded a kill in the fifth set as USC took the 4-3 lead. Cal retook the lead after a USC service error and a block from Solomon and Hawari. Two consecutive blocks put USC back on top, 6-5, but Cal answered with kills by Hawari and Solomon. Garrett tied it a 7-7 before both teams traded service errors for an 8-8 score. Solomon recorded another kill and Cutura nailed the overpass for the 10-8 Cal lead. Gysin made it a one-point deficit with another kill but Cutura and Hawari put the pressure on with back-to-back kills and Cal leading, 12-9. After USC called its final timeout, the short reprise would prove to be the needed turnaround for the Women of Troy. Gysin sparked a run of five straight points for USC. A ball-handling error against Cal preceded a Williams solo block in the middle to tie it at 12-12. Kimmee Roleder provided two key kills to give match point to USC. Murrey hit one from the back row for the Golden Bears, but Williams followed with a kill to the back right corner as USC pulled off the upset.

USC continues its four-match homestand next weekend with matches against Oregon on Friday (Oct. 31) and Oregon State on Saturday (Nov. 1). Both matches will start at 7 p.m. and be broadcast live on usctrojans.com, courtesy of TrojanTV All-Access. Fans are advised to allow extra time on Saturday, due to the USC-Washington football game at the Coliseum which starts at 3:30 p.m.